


Steps like Thunder

by contrequirose



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Barry just doesn't know how tea works, Dissociation, Gen, Implied Past Abuse, Magnus is a Good Friend, POV Second Person, Panic Attacks, Taako has a Bad Day, Taako's not having the best time, Thunderstorms, i tried writing this not in 2nd person and my hands revolted smh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 05:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12788136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/contrequirose/pseuds/contrequirose
Summary: Taako has a Bad Day. Barry worries. Magnus helps. Taako forgets.





	Steps like Thunder

You aren’t sure where you are. The air is heavy and it’s dark, weirdly dark – you can see in the dark, but here, wherever here is, is dark enough that all you can see is your hands, knuckles white as they grip your knees. Its – its dark, why is it dark. You aren’t sure where you are. It's – it's dark. 

With a crash, thunder booms through you, and you flinch, hands clapping hard over your ears, cupping out the sound of crashing, dying drums – howls of wind that sound like baying hounds caught out in the rain. Fuck, its loud and dark and you don’t know where you are and its dark and loud and dark and – there’s tears dripping down your face. You don’t remember them starting, but as you cautiously swipe a hand across your face, the wetness indicates that you’ve been crying for a – for a while. It's dark. You don’t know how long you’ve been in here. 

You clench your eyes shut, and open them again, blinking tears out of them, raindrops falling onto the cloth of your shirt. You aren’t wearing your normal work clothes – these are too soft and nice, and you can’t feel the parts where you repaired the tears that he left. Why – why aren’t you wearing your work clothes. You don’t own much else, not any of your perfected style – there’s no room here, in this wagon that’s so full and yet so, so empty. And – oh. That’s where you are, right? In the wagon. Where else would you be…? 

There’s another rumble of thunder, and it sounds like footsteps, slamming into the ground of the hallway, someone coming to hurt you and you know who it is fucking hell you know who it is and you flinch, breath speeding up as you cram yourself against the wall and 

“Taako?” 

You don’t know who that is. 

“Do you want me to call Lup? Or Magnus? Merle?” 

You scramble back towards the wall of whatever room this is, cloth muffling the sounds of your movement. You don’t know who these people are, and you don’t know why that makes you feel so wrong, static buzzing through your hands and ears and brain, and who is Lup (your best friend, your sister, you are her heart and you don’t know who she is) and you don’t – well. Magnus sounds more familiar than any other, but you don’t remember why or how but he is. Safe? His name feels safe. 

“Magnus,” you whisper, a sob taking over your breath halfway through the word and you can’t remember why your crying or who Magnus is or where you are and. And. It's dark. And thunder rumbles again through the room and you lose yourself to static clouding your mind and limbs and… it's dark. And you don’t know where you are. And you don’t know how longs you’ve been hiding here, in this place, or how long it’s been since the person outside the door spoke, or. It's dark. And you are alone, and that feels wrong in a way that you don't remember feeling before. 

Footsteps beyond the door. 

"Hey," and the voice is panting, and Taako sinks further into the back of the closet because the voice is too near. 

"Sorry for taking so long, I had to put the dogs inside. How is he?" 

Another voice? (Its Magnus its Magnus he's safe he's good why can't you REMEMBER) you... you don't know who it is. 

"I don't know what to do, Magnus. He was having a Bad Day earlier, and Lup and Kravitz were both called out, so I stayed to make sure he was okay but then the storm started, and he dropped the cooking knives and just – he just bolted. I've been trying to get him to talk to me, but he won't say anything and gods I couldn't reach Lup or Kravitz and - " 

There's a sound of fabric rustling, and you don’t know what they are doing. Fighting? (they're hugging it's Barry and Magnus please remember remember remember) 

"It's okay, man. I'll handle it. Do you wanna go make tea or..." 

A pause. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll, I'll do that. Thanks, Magnus." 

Footsteps going away. Cloth sliding against wood and flesh hitting the ground where – he's sitting against the door. And Taako should feel trapped, with someone in front of the door, but he just. He just doesn’t. He feels safe. 

"Taako? It's me. I'm going to go through the usual routine, okay? Just stop me when you want to come out. Okay?" 

You don't know what the usual routine is but the word okay fights its way out of your mouth, caught and spun through a cloud of tears. 

“Your name is Taako. My name is Magnus. We are both at my house, in Raven’s Roost. Lup is your sister, Barry is your friend, and Kravitz is your boyfriend. Lup is alive. It’s currently …”

Fabric scrapes against skin as the person (Magnus?) seems to lift a sleeve.

“It is about noon, on a Thursday. Your sitting in my coat closet – Kravitz dropped you off here this morning because you were having a Bad Day and Barry was staying here at the house since he isn’t cleared to go back on duty yet. The thunderstorm started around ten – I’m sorry that it was so loud. I don’t mind storms, so I don’t have any noise canceling charms up on the house. Barry said that you had a flashback when the storm started, and that’s why you went to the closet.”

You don’t – nothing makes sense. Who are they (your friends) why do they care about you (they love you) where is Sazed (he’s gone) –  
“Sazed’s in jail, Taako. He turned himself in. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

And – oh. You were talking aloud, weren’t you? 

“You’re safe, Taako. I’m right here, okay? No one is leaving. The hunger’s gone. We won. You’re safe.”

You gasp then, a new wave of sobs overtaking you as you open the closet door from the inside, a person’s body sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of you and you throw yourself at them, at Magnus, your best friend, and words tumble out of your mouth in endless waves.

“I forgot gods Mags I forgot again I couldn’t remember you or Barry or Merle I forgot Lup again I didn’t remember and the storm sounding like shouting and I dropped the knives and I forgot gods Magnus I forgot,”

By the time you stop rambling, Magnus has drawn you into a hug that sinks pressure into your bones, and you melt into him, hours of terror dissolving into waves of relief.

His voice is muffled as he mutters into your shoulder, “Wanna grab some of the tea that Barry’s making?”

Your voice is faint, and still shaky, but you choke on a laugh.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

Neither of you move yet. 

Magnus moves his head away and whispers “Last one to the kitchen has to clean the mugs!”, before dropping his arms and diving down the hallway.

You sit stunned for a moment, before smirking and casting Blink, arriving in Magnus’s kitchen before even a heartbeat had passed.

Barry startles, dropping a spoon onto the counter with a clatter as you reappear, sinking down onto one of Magnus’s mismatched barstools, resting your head in your hand and watching Barry settle with a sigh and start pouring the tea. He looks – He looks tired. Magnus rushes into the kitchen a moment later, face falling in fake despair when he sees you already sitting down. 

He takes the seat next to you, and you rest your head on his shoulder, watching Barry pour tea. 

Barry hands a mug to you (And it says “le petite mort” in fantasy french, a gift from Kravitz, he had laughed so hard when he saw it -) and you take a sip.

You grimace and gently place the mug back on the counter.

“Barold. My man. What the fuck,” you say with feeling, as the grittiness of the tea leaves that he hadn’t managed to strain out fill your mouth with bitterness.

Barry cringes and rubs a hand across his eyes, before throwing his arms up and exclaiming, “Turns out I don’t fucking know how to make tea!” and the kitchen collapses into a mess of laughter and ribbing on Barry.

You sit. And you wait, here in this laughter and warmth and family, for your sister to get home.

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fanfiction i've ever published, so go me for finishing something for once in my life.  
> (le petite mort is a reference to orgasms in French and is probably something Kravitz would find hilarious)


End file.
